Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Dr. Ballard, please call surgery

ORLANDO — A police search of former astronaut Lisa Nowak’s car turned up bondage photos on a computer disk, British currency and pills, according to documents released today by prosecutors.

A judge last week agreed to unseal some of the documents in the Nowak’s case.

She is accused of trying to kidnap a rival for a space shuttle pilot’s affections.

Nearly all of the 16 images found on the disk depicted bondage scenes, according to a forensic examination report by the Orlando Police Department. Some of the images showed a nude woman while others were drawings.

The documents did not make clear if Nowak was the woman in the photos or who the disks belonged to.

Also found were nearly $600, 41 British pounds and four brown paper towels with 69 orange pills. It was not clear what the orange pills were. Investigators also examined two USB drives found in the car that contained family pictures, digital movies and NASA related materials.

They concluded that information found on the disk or the two USB drives did not have any direct evidence related to the attempting kidnapping, the report said. Nowak’s attorney, Donald Lykkebak, declined to comment Tuesday on the newly released documents.

Nowak was arrested in February after police say she drove from Houston to Florida to confront Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman. Authorities have said Nowak had an affair with Shipman’s boyfriend, Bill Oefelein. She pepper-sprayed Shipman through a partially lowered car window, an arrest affidavit said.

Police said they found a BB gun, new steel mallet, a knife and rubber tubing in Nowak’s possession. Nowak, 43, pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping, burglary with assault and battery. NASA released Nowak from the astronaut corps a month after her arrest.